I began working for the Girl Scouts six years ago, auspiciously 100 years to the day from when Juliette Gordon Low founded the organization with the purpose of providing opportunities for girls who were missing at the time. Opportunities like playing sports and learning outdoor skills, which were frowned upon for girls in 1912.

Well, it’s 105 years later and I am happy to report that the Girl Scout organization continues to help break barriers for girls.

Girl Scouts of the USA is fortunate to have an institute dedicated to studying the issues facing girls and young women today. The Girl Scout Research Institute studies everything from the female leadership gap in STEM fields, relational aggression and bullying to what it takes to be successful as a business leader. What these studies and more reveal is that our work in female empowerment is never-ending.

As a woman and the mother of a daughter, it is easy to feel disheartened by these facts, which is part of the reason I am grateful to work for an organization whose sole mission is to help girls realize the leadership potential within themselves and give them the opportunity to develop it.

Our mission is to build girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place. Even in divisive times, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who would argue our mission’s value.

Thankfully, these days there is no shortage of initiatives recognizing that when girls and women succeed, we all succeed. It’s heartening to see new organizations springing up supporting women in their quests to do everything from running a marathon to running for office. At Girl Scouts we’ve been working on this female empowerment thing for a while now — more than a century to be exact. We know leadership development matters because we’ve seen the difference.

Not convinced? Let’s go back to that research institute. In the United States, 90 percent of female astronauts, 80 percent of female tech leaders, 75 percent of current U.S. Senators and 50 percent of female business owners were Girl Scouts. These women all succeeded because when they were growing up, their participation in the Girl Scout program reminded them that they could try new things without fear, that failing sometimes means learning and that a team of peers would have their back. They kept exploring and taking risks. They were listened to and they knew that they mattered.

Working in communications at Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes is my job, but I must tell you, knowing I am doing my part to make sure the community knows the value of Girl Scouts is thrilling. I have never been prouder to be a champion for the power of girls, female leadership, and yes, Girl Scouts.

Lee Snodgrass is the director of communications at Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes headquartered in Appleton.